Newslinks for Sunday 17th July 2016

‘In his first interview since being appointed by Theresa May, Mr Davis said he was determined to win a ‘generous settlement’ for EU migrants already here and for Britons living in EU countries such as Spain and France. He dismissed the idea that three million migrants from countries including Poland and Romania may be forced to leave. But he said the Government may act if forecasts of a ‘surge’ in new EU migrants coming to Britain before it quits the EU proved accurate. Mr Davis said: ‘We may have to deal with that. There are a variety of possibilities. We may have to say that the right to indefinite leave to remain protection only applies before a certain date.” – Mail on Sunday

Brexit 2) Boris: Now we are free to build a global Britain

‘We will remain key players in all kinds of intergovernmental cooperation with our European friends and partners. But we can and must respect the people’s will, and extricate ourselves from the EU. And that gives us a chance not just to do new trade deals, but to think of ourselves once again as a truly global Britain using our unique voice – humane, compassionate, principled – to do good around the world, and to exploit growth markets to the full. We have the ambition in our exporters and our businesses; and from just my first few hours in the job I can tell you that in Whitehall and around the world we have the staff who are only too eager to get on with it and help build a new role for this country: a global Britain.’ – Boris Johnson, Sunday Telegraph

Brexit 3) Work begins on free trade deals with Australia and the US

‘Theresa May’s new government has already begun preparing the ground for pioneering free trade deals with America and Australia potentially worth billions of pounds to the British economy. The new Prime Minister spoke on Saturday to her Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, who said he was keen to strike a trade pact with the UK “as soon as possible”. Mrs May said the early plan for a trade pact with Australia was “very encouraging” and showed that Britain would thrive outside the European Union.’ – Sunday Telegraph

Greening refuses to rule out new selective schools

‘Greening — the first education secretary to have had a completely comprehensive secondary education — left the door open to the extension of grammar schools, emphasising that different sorts of schools should be allowed to thrive. “I am not going to set hares running but I’m going to look at absolutely everything,” she said. “I’m interested in what works. I recognise that children thrive in different environments. That’s why academies have made a difference because they have allowed different kinds of schools that work for children who learn in different sorts of settings.” Theresa May’s closest policy aide, Nick Timothy — who ran the New Schools Network until he began work at Downing Street last week — has said academic selection should be allowed in free schools where there is a local demand from parents.’ – Sunday Times (£)

Clegg’s free school meals scheme is making children obese- Mail on Sunday

The inside story of the reshuffle

‘“There is not going to be room for you,” Mrs May told Mr Gove. “I have been talking to colleagues and the importance of loyalty is something on people’s minds.” She did not want him in her new Cabinet because colleagues were warning he could not be trusted. “I’m not saying there is no way back or that you’ll never serve in my government,” Mrs May added, “but it would perhaps help if you could demonstrate that loyalty from the back benches.” Mr Gove, as always, was scrupulously polite. “Thank you very much, Prime Minister,” he said, before turning on his heels. He had been in her office for as little as two minutes. He walked the short distance down dimly-lit corridors to his office where advisers were waiting and said: “That’s it.”’ – Sunday Telegraph

She showed her steel – but could also have sown the seeds of trouble – Sunday Times (£)

Reports of unhappiness among Tory donors

”If she wants to win big, she will need big backing from people she says must have more workers on their board and cut their pay,’ said one source. ‘There are grumbles from donors. It is not the way to woo them.’ One Tory fundraiser said the departure of former party chairman Lord Feldman threatened to leave a big hole in the 2020 Election war chest…’Feldman raised £250 million for Cameron,’ said one official. ‘Patrick is a nice man but he doesn’t have a clue about raising big bucks.’ A further threat to Mrs May’s hopes of winning a mandate in 2020 is posed by a row over the Tories’ 2015 Election pledge to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600 to save money.’ – Mail on Sunday

May enjoys poll bounce

‘The new Prime Minister’s bold vision gives them a ten-point lead on Labour with voters, two up on predecessor David Cameron. She has won over people who see her as honest, good in a crisis and able to crack on with the job. Most think she will secure a good deal for Britain to leave the EU in under five years and half say there is no need for a general election. The show of confidence in Mrs May, after barely three days in office, came in an exclusive ICM poll for The Sun on Sunday. Her lead rises to 15 points when she is pitched against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.’ – The Sun on Sunday (£)

Erdogan clamps down

‘Turkey’s hardline president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, unleashed a purge of his enemies in the army and judiciary on Saturday after heading off an attempted military coup. Erdoğan’s office put the death toll in street clashes and airborne dogfights between rebels and loyalists at 265. About 2,800 soldiers were arrested in a day of extraordinary drama that saw the putsch ruthlessly put down. More than 2,700 judges were summarily dismissed for their alleged links to the coup’s leaders, while warrants were issued for the arrest of 140 supreme court members.’ – The Observer

150 Labour MPs could follow Kinnock into a new party

‘More than 150 Labour MPs are plotting to form a breakaway party codenamed ‘Continuity Labour’ if Jeremy Corbyn wins the leadership battle – with Stephen Kinnock tipped to head it. The Mail on Sunday understands a group of leading anti-Corbyn MPs are poised to make approaches to Labour’s top 50 donors to fund the new party if the Labour leader fends off challenges from Angela Eagle and Owen Smith. The plot emerged as this newspaper also established that Mr Kinnock, the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, has held secret talks with former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown about ‘safeguarding the interests of our country’.’ – Mail on Sunday

Top Republicans boycott Trump’s convention

‘Some 50,000 people are expected to come to Cleveland for the convention that starts tomorrow — 20,000 of them within the arena. But a slew of top Republicans are boycotting the event: as well as Romney, the 2008 nominee John McCain, former president George W Bush, the nominee in 2000 and 2004, and former president George HW Bush, the 1988 and 1992 nominee, will also be staying away. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, one of those Trump vanquished in the fight for the nomination, and Senator Ben Sasse from Nebraska, another rising star, will also not attend. Governor John Kasich of Ohio, who won the swing state in the Republican primaries and was the last Trump rival to drop out, has no plans to be there. Senator Steve Daines of Montana said he would be fly-fishing during the convention while McCain cited a trip to the Grand Canyon.’ – Sunday Times (£)

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